August 2018

Early Life On this day in 1806, James Harrison Dakin Jr., was born in the Township of Northeast, New York. His parents were James Dakin Sr. and Lucy Dakin. After his father passed away in 1819, James was sent to his aunt’s house in Hudson New York, where he learned the trade of carpentry from her husband. New York In 1829 James moved to New York City to pursue architecture. As luck would have it, he managed to secure an apprenticeship with the firm of Town and Davis, two of the most renowned architects in New York in this era.[…]

Standing on the corner of Washington and Prytania, beneath a yellow barn-shaped building, you’ll hear it. Wild stories about the history of the building. “Right in this spot in 1884, the city of New Orleans opened an ice skating rink.” “For two years, this building was an ice skating rink, then it became a mortuary.” “Ice was imported from the North, so guests could skate.” The guides’ stories are varied and incredibly detailed. Some go as far as to discuss the technology of creating an ice rink in this era. The first ice rink was opened in London in 1876[…]